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July 2013 – Guilin – Liu Sanjie Impressions 印象刘三姐

Quite a weird name for a show, no? Not the most attractive, in my opinion, but wait until you see the show:

Here’s the entrance. Looks like a villa or something, right? Almost resort-like. Needless to say, it got me intrigued. So we went inside, checked in with our tickets, and got seated…

Wow. Amazing, right? They truly picked this place right!

We were seated far in the back, so we were able to have this overall view. Once you get in, you are given a disposable plastic raincoat as well, just in case there’s an unexpected shower. Quite thoughtful, actually!

We waited for quite some time, and were already getting a bit impatient. Pretty soon dusk faded into night, and we suddenly got this:

Everybody literally went “whoa!” at this. This was even more stunning in person. See, China, at what plain white light can do? SO much better than the usual technicolor lights!

Overall, the show was about the different cultures of China and certain customs even I haven’t seen before. All of them extravagantly use light and different colours to make a truly show-stopping experience. Right before the show, we learned that it was actually directed by Zhang Yimou, one of the best directors (if not the best!) in China. He was also the one who directed the jaw-dropping opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I must say, I enjoyed the show because there was a good combination of showmanship and discipline throughout the show that didn’t read tacky (quite common in Chinese performances…), and showed the director behind it all. This was one of the better experiences we had in Guilin! 🙂